Army cyber program explores ways to breach sealed networks

By William Welsh

Dec 17, 2012

A number of U.S industry and military labs are exploring methods that would allow the military to inject data and infect systems with destructive viruses into ironclad networks that are not connected to the Internet, reports Defense News.

The effort to add information to a network is a new chapter in cyber warfare, and the Army is interested in seeing what the capabilities might afford for future warfare, the story said. The new chapter in cyber also involves the physical science of electromagnetic fields and radio frequencies and how they fit into the realm of cyber warfare.

The Army’s Intelligence and Information Warfare Directorate (I2WD) hosted a classified planning day late November in which as many as 60 entities participated in a discussion of what might be done in the realm of electronic warfare and cyber, a source familiar with the program told the media outlet.

Although specific objectives of the Tactical Electromagnetic Cyber Warfare Demonstrator program are classified, the source said the program is designed to demonstrate ready-made boxes that can perform a variety of tasks, such as inserting and extracting data from sealed networks, the story said.

Such technology would allow military forces to avoid having to gain physical access to a facility to reach sealed networks; instead, they might be able to bring a vehicle close enough to the network to insert data or monitor the network, the story said.

The Army program will test capabilities for air and ground platforms, according to an I2WD invitation to an information day on the program cited in the story. The program was established to test a variety of electronic warfare capabilities. Demonstrations are tentatively scheduled to occur every three months for the next two years, the story said.

About the Author

William Welsh is a freelance writer covering IT and defense technology.